Roundup: The Controversial Weedkiller Sprayed Throughout California Forests

Roundup: The Controversial Weedkiller Sprayed Throughout California Forests

From KQED's Forum by KQED

April 29, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the Supreme Court case regarding Roundup, its health impacts, and its use in California forests.

The Supreme Court this week heard a case about Roundup, a weedkiller widely used in agriculture — and that tens of thousands claim has caused their cancer. Now a new investigation from Mother Jones reveals that Roundup is used across California by the US Forest Service and Cal Fire. While Bayer, Roundup’s parent company, claims the chemical’s safety is backed up by extensive research, the investigation calls into question data behind these claims. We look at what’s known about the health impacts of Roundup, how it’s used for fire recovery and why it’s causing a rift in Trump world. Guests: Nate Halverson, senior reporter and producer, The Center for Investigative Reporting who reported on Roundup for Reveal and Mother Jones Patrick Thomas, reporter, The Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Nate Halverson, Patrick Thomas

Topics covered

  • Roundup
  • weedkiller
  • health impacts
  • fire recovery
  • legal case
  • investigation

Keywords

  • Roundup
  • weedkiller
  • cancer
  • California
  • investigation
  • Bayer
  • US Forest Service
  • Cal Fire
  • fire recovery

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Center for Investigative Reporting, Mother Jones, Bayer, US Forest Service, Cal Fire

More episodes of KQED's Forum

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the KQED's Forum podcast page.